This week was more than just winning two league games to stay in the hunt for the conference title for the Fort Morgan girls soccer team.

It was a chance to come together and rally for a fallen classmate.

Fresh off a 1-0 win in Alameda on Tuesday, the Mustangs again delivered an emotional win with a 4-3 comeback win over the Skyview Wolverines at Pioneer Elementary Field on Thursday.

“On Monday, we told each other that we were going to try and win out there for Danny (Narvaez),” Jackie Escalera said. “He was a big part of our community, and we wanted to make him proud and our community proud.”

This marked the second straight season head coach Holley Norris has seen her team come together to honor a fallen classmate. The team honored Kevin Chuc-De Leon last year, a senior who passed away during spring break. Fort Morgan won in overtime against the Roosevelt Rough Riders and played well down the stretch against some top teams in their league last year.

The team came out unified and focused on playing well this week to honor another fallen classmate, according to Norris.

“It’s been really hard on everyone,” Norris said. “We just wanted to support the Narvaez family. Danny touched our lives. The girls have come together and have found ways to honor him.”

Fort Morgan took the advantage of having the steady wind at their backs in the first half, allowing them to push the ball up the field and use their speed to get to the ball. It paid off eight minutes into the game as Hannah Graff put a shot on goal and saw it bounce off of the goalie and into the net to give the Mustangs the early lead.

Escalera would make it 2-0 on a through ball deep in the offensive zone that gave her a breakaway chance with the Skyview goalie.

“When the wind was at our backs, we could take chances from farther out,” Norris said.

The Wolverines would capitalize on a mistake from the Mustangs’ defense late in the second half and got a breakaway chance with Emali Ortega. The senior was able to beat Maddie Griffith for a goal with seven minutes left in the half to put them down 2-1 at the half.

Teams switched sides of the field in the second half, putting Fort Morgan against the wind. After an early chance from Escalera sailed high over the top crossbar, chances were not available for a long stretch in the half, allowing Skyview to get back in the game.

Darlene Gonzalez would tie the game at the 61-minute mark on a mistake in the box from the Mustangs. Four minutes after the tying goal, Fort Morgan turned the ball over in the goal box again to give the Wolverines a chance in close. They would come through and take a 3-2 lead.

A team looking to honor their fallen classmate would not go down quietly.

“We just got it in our heads that we wanted to win for Danny,” Escalera said. “This was for him. We had to work as a team and get it together.”

Fort Morgan pushed the ball up the sidelines and was able to draw a penalty in the goal box. Escalera was called on to take the penalty kick and hit the ball towards the bottom left corner. The goalie did get a piece of the ball, but enough power behind the shot saw it roll into the goal to tie the game.

“I was trying to hit it into the corner as hard as I could,” Escalera said. “I was a little nervous, but I had to get it done.”

Another push from the Mustangs would follow and Escalera got a good shot on goal from the outside. Her shot was saved by the goalie, but the rebound in front of the net found Cira Carlson, who drilled the ball into the net with seven minutes remaining to give the Mustangs the 4-3 lead.

Ortega tried to make one last push late to tie the game for Skyview but could not break free from Kendall Elliott and a number of other defenders that keyed in on her during the second half.

“I loved watching Kendall (Elliott) get in her face,” Norris said. “That was the highlight for me. We frustrated her and got in her space. Kendall handled the pressure like a pro.”

Two emotional wins this week keep the Mustangs in the hunt for the Colorado 7 League title. Next week will be the deciding week for them on their quest for the conference title as they face the Weld Central Rebels and the Conifer Lobos, two teams they were chasing in the conference standings this week.

“This is our best win of the season,” Escalera said. “We have to work together and play like we did today. We’re going to have to play smart.”